{T.I.L. #7}

Since it is the weekend, I thought I'd slip in some of the Things I Love that don't need a whole post of their own. I mean, it is pretty self-explanatory to know that I love Starbucks no-water chai tea lattes. What else can I really say about it? {Other than the fact that it is completely true.}

So, here we go: 

I had wanted to watch this show from the beginning but never made the time to get into it. And, as you know, I have great friends who suggest great shows to me so I finally took the plunge and started at Season 1. Oh.em.gee. Not only is Amy Poehler one of my favorite comediennes, the whole cast is just so great together. My favorite scenes are Leslie's "I'm just a girl" rant, Tom Haverford's food language, and Jean-Ralphio and Mona-Lisa harmonizing their point. You probably gotta watch it to appreciate it, but there ya go.

Also, 

I never realized quite how sedentary some of my days can be until I got my Fitbit flex. Highly recommend it to anyone who wants to increase their health. 

 Speaking of stuff to buy, Amazon Prime has been amazing as I've had to purchase things for my new house. I love that you can get things quickly or you can choose the 'slow route' and get credits toward digital purchases. If anyone is debating about it being worth it, it is. Plus, I like the video streaming and Seasons of Fixer Upper and Rehab Addict on there (its Rehab for houses, not people. Ain't nobody got time to watch real addicts go to rehab. That's called 'my childhood.')

That's pretty much it for now. I'm sure next weekend I'll find a couple more things I can clump together. I know it looks like I'm materialistic after all these posts, so I'll throw in a few that should be obvious. Just in case...

T.I.L. #3

Though my goal had previously been to post every weekday, I've realized that the goal of writing every day in 2013 was lofty enough. I've pretty much met that goal so far & I've only missed a couple of days here and there. I don't think I need the added pressure of constant blog posting...these puppies take a long time to    plan/write/edit/pimp out on Facebook & Twitter!

Plus, the whole purpose of writing daily in 2013 is to push myself toward finally publishing one of my many book ideas. At the rate I'd been going, I would've probably seen Jesus come back before my book hit the shelves; the discipline of writing daily has been a great exercise. With that said, I can't use all my writing steam telling the world about teeny mustaches and grown-ups wearing tutus, now can I?

With that said, I've been sharing a few things I love since it is February. You can read about Things I Love (TIL) no.1 and no.2 if you so desire. 

On to TIL #3:

What's that? I'll tell you.

I know you know by now that I have explored the areas of diet and exercise for a while. I've had challenges with co-workers to cut out sugar and have scoured the interwebs for the latest and greatest perfect-diet-du-jour. I am a huge nerd and I genuinely enjoy reading medical websites and health blogs, as well as having deep scientific discussions with my equally nerdy brother in law. In fact, I think we both accidentally made my pregnant sister cry because of our 'helpful' diet advice. oooops.

I've honestly struggled with my weight/size my entire life. It's not SUPER noticeable to the outside world because my 5'8'' body wears extra pounds well. But it is enough for me to know. {And maybe a few others--I recall the one time in 9th grade when we were supposed to wear hand-me-down cheerleading uniforms and of course, very few fit me. I painfully found this out by trying them all on in a room full of short, tiny girls giving me the stink eye. The only taller (read: above 5'4'') cheerleader in the past had worn a size 4 and had zero lady lumps. My summer 'surprise! You're a C cup!' growth spurt caused the whole squad to have to re-wear our current uniform the entire year. gasp.}

From that point on, I've tried everything under the sun to lose weight and keep it off. Carrot sticks and diet Sprite? Yes, please. Until I almost fainted at school. That one cost me 10 extra pounds after I gained back the initial weight lost. No sugar? You betcha. Until I lost the will power and ate triple the amount of sugar I had been before starting. That one got me a firm extra 10 pounds as well. You get the idea. With each fad, I can do it for aboooouuuut 4 weeks. {Vegetarianism lasted 6 years though. I was proud of that one until the doctor said I'd killed my female hormones. oh, snap.} With each of these attempts at weight loss, I'll usually lose 10-20 pounds, go back to normal eating (because that's what happens when you live life), and gain the original weight plus a little extra. Boo, right?

Well, it turns out that it isn't just me and my broken will power. It's the nature of tinkering with your body. You may remember how I decided to 'go primal' to kick this 'problem' once and for all. I had some success. In fact, RAPID success. But that's the problem. Like I said, I know HOW to lose weight. I can do it well. But each time, I get cold and shivery like a chihuahua in a pool (and not half as cute!) and start to show signs of metabolic distress (anyone else have a peeling scalp and hair falling out in clumps? No? Just me then.) This is where rapid weight loss can get dangerous. I've realized that as much as I want to be my ideal size without too much extra junk in the trunk, I don't want my metabolism to suffer for it.

Enter the whole friggin' point of this post. I'd read a book (surprise!) written by Matt Stone called Diet Recovery & another called Eat for Heat. He's funny, smart, irreverent, and well-versed in the latest dietary dogma. Anything you've tried, he's done too. But instead of being stubborn and lying about progress after the weight-loss honeymoon ends, he tells it like it is. Because of this, some of his ideas grow/change with experience. I was frustrated at first: "just tell me what to eat, Matt!" But that's the problem in a nutshell. Everybody is different and every body is different. I started following his general recommendations to restore metabolic function and have seen a pretty remarkable improvement. My average temps went from 97.4ish to 98.7 in about 4 weeks. My hands and feet are warm, I don't have to wear my black puffy coat indoors as much (you guys who know me are probably laughing right now...), I had some eczema that cleared up when my temps normalized, and I went up a cup size. Thankfully, more chest is a problem I'd like to have now that I don't have to fit in any cheerleading hand-me-downs. That's about all I've seen so far, but this is a process. I no longer feel the need to lose weight by some arbritrary timeline. Bikini by Spring Break? Maybe not. But I have the freedom to approach health as more than a number on a scale. Metabolism is now my friend and frankly, it's kind of refreshing to hang out with the new kid in town. Weight loss was getting too bossy and was kinda starting to piss me off.

I'll keep you posted as I learn and experiment. Are you interested in this? Do you have low temps or symptoms of impaired metabolism? If you want to see what I've been doing, grab Matt's new e-book Diet Recovery 2** while it is ON SALE FOR 99 CENTS. Yes, less than a buck. But get it before 11:59 Eastern on 2/15/13 or it goes up to $9.99. Which to be honest, is still worth it in my opinion. And isn't that why you are reading my blog in the first place?

**Edited to add: Matt's book has some harsh language in it, as well as a few pictures of women's body parts to show the changes in body composition when restoring metabolism. But of course, he does it in a totally inappropriate way cuz that's how he rolls...so, you've been warned. Doesn't detract from the message for me, but it's nice to have a heads up I guess.

Life As It Is

You may remember the post I wrote about my 4 Simple Goals back in October. I tried to make it easy for you, as it the last thing that I wrote on this darn blog. Yes, um, that was totally intentional.

Apparently for me, 4 Simple Goals are about as simple as putting together Ikea furniture without their picto-directions. I tried really hard, but didn't *quite* accomplish the 4 simple goals as I'd hoped. But isn't that life?? I'll get to that in a minute...

<--Did I follow in my grandmother's footsteps and get back into dance? 

Not exactly and kind of. I called a ballet studio that specializes in adult classes and it was $90 a MONTH for 4 classes. Whaaa? I think I could hire a personal ballerina to come to my living room for that price! So I decided to go to the open ballroom dance first and just do my Bar Method DVDs for ballet until I get stronger...

Ballroom route you say? Thwarted!! The reason relates to Goal #3 in a way so I'll get to that as well. I did, however, figure out that I would like to take lessons again as I did in college as it facilitates not only the skill but the outlet. I'm contacting Arthur Murray dance studio this week to schedule my 'test' dance lesson for placement. So Goal #1: semi-check?

On to Goal #2. Was it weird to include a nebulous goal about boys? At first, I wasn't sure about this one as I didn't make it very specific. However, as I thought about it, the specifics of how to confront this 'problem' came to me. Like I said, I expect guys to traverse the globe to ask for my number and I don't make it very obvious that I even want them to. I mean, there's a reason why I've named them Peacocks. I'm not really sure where this boy-wall stems from, but I have a feeling that it is related to modern, southern Christianity's views on men, women, and dating. I've been to enough "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" workshops to never date again and I routinely confuse God's desires for us with Man's ideas about what that looks like.

Enter Matthew Hussey, the love guru. What a doll. I was watching a few of his YouTube videos after a confusing date. {Don't you love us ladies? Gotta debrief and analyze!} I liked what he had to say about guys and girls and it was contrary to what I'd absorbed and made law in my life. I took one of his online programs and it COMPLETELY changed how I view guys! Who knew that all it would take was a guy with a British accent giving me dating advice? I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've done a 180 & I am excited to continue to implement the things I learned in the program. In fact, I've already started with amazing results! I'll update this area when there is more to tell...

So, goal #2: Check with a little bit of Flirt thrown in!
Moving along to Goal #3 and how it helped cripple Goal #1. My goal was to complete the Couch to 5K program in 8 weeks and be a running goddess by December. I was even going to take my sweet doglet with me. What went wrong?

Due to the anatomy of my feet in tennis shoes, I get stress fractures in my mid-foot when I do anything too strenuous. I've had about 4 of them in my adult life and if I don't rest when I get one, it causes a neuroma in my foot (basically like an ice pick feeling when I walk due to nerve inflammation). Happy day, huh?

As you can see, this problem lends itself to lots o' laziness in the exercise department. But I was determined. I had started wearing minimalist shoes and it had been loads better! I downloaded the C25K app (awesome app for this, BTW), turned on my Coldplay album and started going to town. Week One was incredible (I didn't die, yay!) and in the middle of Week Two, the pain started. I have rested it for the last 6 weeks, postponed dancing (see goal #1) and am now ready to start again. Only this time, I will need to go EVEN slower than a couch potato apparently. I plan to walk daily for a month before starting the program again. I will also be adapting the program by following my own heart rate while using their basic setup.  Soleil was disappointed (I'm sure of it!) but 'what's another month, sad eyes?' is what I'll likely tell her.

Goal #3: A "'slow is sexy' so we'll stay updated on this goal" check

Last but not least, the final oh-so-simple goal: Take more risks. One thing I've learned about this experiment in bite-size goals is that they need to be just that: bite-sized. Specific. I made a few notes about how I could take risks but I didn't set out with a plan. I've taken some risks for sure (more on that in the coming weeks!) but overall, I'd like a re-do on this goal. I'd make it more clear this time: 
 Dye my hair dark black! 
      Take voice lessons!
           Ask a boy on a date!             
               Submit my writing to a publisher!

These are specific goals about taking risks. I've got another post in mind for these, so stay tuned. But I'd still have to say...

Goal #4: "Vague but accomplished" check!

After all of this experimenting with 4 Simple Goals, I found that I really liked it. It held me accountable and kept my priorities in check. I am going to continue with goals in the New Year but I do think there is a valuable lesson for me in these last 2 months. As much as we plan and scheme, life happens. While you can't always control what happens, you can control your reaction to it. My motto for 2013 is to 'live life as it is' not how I want it to be. Of course, more on this motto as we ring in 2013. Happy New Year everyone!

4 Simple Goals

After reading this post from a blog I love called A Beautiful Mess, I decided to play along. This blog is great because it covers so many areas of life. I am also partial to it because it is written by two creative sisters and I happen to have an incredible sister myself {if only she and I could work together. man, what an awesome job.} Anyways, how cute are they?

I often get overwhelmed by life and work and making/reaching goals, but I thought the challenge to write '4 Simple Goals' might be right up my alley. Because on any given day, I could sing "I'm too lazy for my goals" (while borrowing the tune from these guys) to describe myself.

So, I'm gonna do it. I will post mine in picture form because that's how I think. I'm pretty visual, so maybe they'll stick better that way? *fingers crossed* Time will tell, folks. Time.will.tell.

Here you go if you want to keep me accountable. I'll post back on

 'the P' to report how I've done before 2013 rolls in. Update here.

I have had several opportunities to dance like I used to (swing, Country Western, ballet, hip hop, ballroom, flamenco) but I have chickened out lately. I'm not really sure why (well, I guess because I'm afraid I've lost all dance ability and will look like a complete fool!) But, I'm going to just try SOMETHING before the year is up. Here's to hoping it's like riding a bike. Only with a sweaty partner. And using every muscle in your body. On your tippy toes. Eeek.

I'm a hopeless romantic. I believe a boy should stop traffic to tell me I'm beautiful or ask for my number. Only that's kinda unrealistic I'm finding out. Oops. Thanks a lot, rom-coms and Twilight (Edward LITERALLY stopped traffic. But he also sparkles in the sun, so....back to my aforementioned goal #2). Since there are no Mr. Darcys, Mr. Knightleys or sparkly vampires inhaling me in science class, I guess I need to be more open to how modern men actually behave.

I have always hated walking and running but I know it is good for you and I want to love it. Or maybe just LIKE it. Plus, I want to participate in a race when friends get together for a Turkey Trot or a Reindeer Romp or a Cupid Shuffle (I think that's a dance, not a race. In either case, I'm still in: see Goal #1).

You ever notice how many people can just join a 5K race on any given weekend? "Hey, I think I'm gonna go do a mud run on Saturday after my spin class." What?! I honestly have to talk myself out of using a motorized cart at the grocery store after a long week of work. But no more. I want to stop disappointing my dog every night (seriously, look at that face! She does that EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. while simultaneously glancing at her leash.) I'm using the 8-week C25K app on my iphone to help me keep track. If only it supplied the energy...

Friends who know me have heard me use the phrase, "I'm saying 'yes' to life!" It's super cheesy, but it is what I have to do. My default answer has been 'hell to the no' when it involves risk-taking or stepping out of my comfort zone. I'm over that. That life is safe but boring. I have a lot of passion and creativity and I'm not afraid to use it. Ok, yes I am. But I'm ready to take some chances before 2013!

That's it! I'll update if & when I start meeting these 4 Simple Goals. Feel free to comment about your own 4 Simple Goals or leave a link to your blog/Facebook/Twitter/other cool social media tool I'm probably not using...I'd love to see who else (besides me!) needs a kick in the pants for the rest of 2012.

Princess and the Pants: "What's that?!"

I teach small group reading intervention and the other day I was chatting with one of my first grade groups...here's what transpired (and why I'm starting a new section on my blog for health/fitness!):

Me: *talking to kids even though they are probably tuning me out*

Little First Grade Princess Cutie: *Interrupting me mid-sentence* "Miss Brown, what's that?!"

Me: *kinda freaking out & thinking...is it a spider? Baby Jesus, get it OFF!* "What honey?"

LFGPC: *pointing generically to my leg* "THAT! That part that's sticking out."

Me: *Bewildered* "What do you mean, sweetie?"

LFGPC: *Pointing directly to my lower leg* "That fat part right there..."

Little First Grade Peacock: "Um, that's her calf."

LFGPC: *sheepish* "Oh."

Me: *saying silently to myself* "Yeah, oh. Um, my 'diet' starts tomorrow. For realz."

Simultaneously, some of my friends at work rallied together and we started the "Chunkless Challenge"--it's like the Biggest Loser meets Cheaters. We each have a goal (mine is to be more healthy & fit). We weigh-in each week and you have to pay $ if you gain weight or eat sugar over 5g. We have a "cheat" item (which I lovingly re-named a "treat" item) every 2 weeks. We've been going for 3 weeks...I already owe money. Oops.

I planned to post pictures of the "extra love" melting off my body, but my body has not gotten that memo. So, I'll wait until I have lost more than my meager 7 pounds. Until then, remind me to stay away from honest first graders.